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Without the Eucharist the Church quite simply would not exist – Pope Benedict XVI

Why Maiden Lane?

Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane was founded in 1873 by Cardinal Manning as a sanctuary of the Blessed Sacrament. Since then millions of people have passed through the church’s doors and encountered Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the “tiny white host” in the monstrance (Ven. Fulton Sheen). This church in the heart of London has the adoration and veneration of the Blessed Sacrament as its sole purpose.

Corpus Christi has a rich tradition of noble liturgical celebrations and pious devotion to the Eucharist. It was a former Parish Priest of the parish, Fr. Francis Stanfield (1835-1914) who wrote Sweet Sacrament Divine – a hymn loved by Catholics worldwide. Mgr. Ronald Knox preached here on the Feast of Corpus Christi every year from 1926 until 1956 and his sermons were compiled in the book The Window in the Wall.

Quarant’Ore, or Forty Hours’ Devotion

In 2018, His Eminence, Vincent Cardinal Nichols raised Corpus Christi to the dignity of the Westminster Diocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament. This was to fulfil the vision of Cardinal Manning of creating a “Sanctuary” specifically devoted to Adoring and Honouring Our Lord, Truly Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Speaking on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in Maiden Lane, Cardinal Nichols said:

May this Shrine to the Most Blessed Sacrament, not least through its Sodality, enrich the life of faith in our time and bring to many the joy and consolation of the Lord’s presence, so that we may all come to know and praise his beauty, with all our brothers and sisters, in the life to come. Amen.

– His Eminence, Vincent Cardinal Nichols

To find out more about Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane, including information about regular Mass times, Sacraments and a more detailed history, visit their website.